When did they start making wool felt hats?

[David Conwill]

One last post before I go away for a while. Hopefully some interesting answers will be here when I get back.

Can anyone tell me when they started to make wool felt fedoras? They're pretty much the standard now, but looking at vintage hats gives the feeling that all that was available in the '50s and earlier was fur felt. Or did none of the early wool felt survive?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[skyvue]

I've got a vintage hat that is 100% wool. It's brand is The Royal, but I know nothing more about it than that. Doesn't fit me, so it just hangs in the closet.

And I'm not sure that wool fedoras are the standard now. In cheap shops, yeah, but perhaps they were always available that way. Good hat shops -- then and now, I'm convinced -- sell fur felt.

 

[Dinerman]

They've had them, but I'm guessing they don't survive as well. I've got two, both cowboy hats, which date from the '30s or '40s.
Here's one of them.
I'll also mention that both are pretty chewed up. This one, though wearable, has two holes completely through the brim.

 

[Dinerman]

And the other wool felt.

 

[J.T.Marcus]

The felting process is about as old as civilization, and so is the raising of sheep. There have probably been wool hats for as long as there have been hats. As far as American history is concerned, this is the closest to a definitive answer that I have found:

"Wool felt hats go back into the early history of this country and were in common use in the military from before the Civil War on through the present day. Therefore, the use of wool felt hats is definitely authentic for re-creating an earlier time period."

(Quoted from this site)
http://www.riverjunction.com/catalog/hats/hats.html

 

[thunderw21]

Here's another.

Though the tophat inside of circle dates back from WW1, the "Victory" beneath the tophat could indicate WW2 era but this is only a guess.

The "FRAT" name indicates it was likely meant for college students as most vintage wool fedoras were.

I'm guessing 1940s for this wool. Hope this helps.

P.S. Sorry for the poor quality pics.

 

[Spatterdash]

Can anyone tell me when they started to make wool felt fedoras?

When the twentieth century human male lost his sense of individuality and worth, becoming instead a faceless media sponge satisfied with gorging on banal consumerism...

or maybe I'm just jaded.

They've had them since ancient times, wool felt hats I mean. Most medieval hats and caps were wool felt, sometimes treated with pitch for water protection.
My intial comment has more to do with the acceptance of wool felt as a dress item. Why would anyone buy such a thing as a new wool fedora?
"Well, it IS an official Indiana Jones hat, see? There's the little gold pin on the side... what's it say? That's right, hater, Indiana frikkin' Jones. It's THE hat, it doesn't get any more official, so deal."

 

[dhermann1]

Wool felt hats are the entree for a lot of guys. If you're sort of interested, but not to the tune of a hundred or more dollars, then a $16 wool fedora is just the ticket. If you decide you feel cool in a fedora, and realize that wool is basically a cheapo material (but serviceable!), then you step up to fur felt.
But yes, felt has been around since pre historic times. It was used for all sorts of things, for thousands of years. And after all, felt is just matted hair, whether it's sheep's wool or beaver fur undercoat.

 

[kiltie]

why?

Why would anyone buy such a thing? I dunno... I can't speak for everyone, but I got a coupla hats, and it turns out one of 'em is (gasp) wool. I bought it an age and a half ago when I was really keen on getting a hat but had no scratch. I picked up a Dobbs made outta wool cuz it was sixty bones, as opposed to a hundred and sixty, and I was not privilaged enough to have access to the sage advice of the initiated. Oh, what a fool I was... ha ha ha... I look back now and think I probably should have just killed myself instead of sullying my ignorant skull with a wool hat. I was such a dupe. It's funny the supposed lamentation some in this joint profess; whatever happened to the hat? Why don't people wear hats anymore? Then someone does, and they become the object of derision because it's the wrong hat. It's absurd. Now that I can afford a decent hat, I cap my noggin off with one, but I sure as @*$% wouldn't hassle anybody for putting something cheaper on their head. They almost certainly feel as though they're making the same statement as you or I, and who are we to deny that. I work on the edge of a lower income area of the city and see tons of the old timers sporting their wool lids. You know they think it looks good, you know they "remember when...", and you know *%#*ing good and well they can't afford a hat like some of the peacocks in here. As for anybody who wants an I.J. fedora: good. Put on a hat. PLEASE bring back that sense of innocence; that you'll buy something that makes you feel like you're a part of that world ( the bleeding "golden era" - Ha! ) - that you will risk ridicule for that feeling that you get inside your heart. The elitist attitude being displayed on several threads is getting REAL tedious... Why buy a wool hat, indeed.

 

[Big Man]

Don't hold anything back, tell us what you really think.

Why would anyone buy such a thing? I dunno... I can't speak for everyone, but I got a coupla hats, and it turns out one of 'em is (gasp) wool. I bought it an age and a half ago when I was really keen on getting a hat but had no scratch. I picked up a Dobbs made outta wool cuz it was sixty bones, as opposed to a hundred and sixty, and I was not privilaged enough to have access to the sage advice of the initiated. Oh, what a fool I was... ha ha ha... I look back now and think I probably should have just killed myself instead of sullying my ignorant skull with a wool hat. I was such a dupe. It's funny the supposed lamentation some in this joint profess; whatever happened to the hat? Why don't people wear hats anymore? Then someone does, and they become the object of derision because it's the wrong hat. It's absurd. Now that I can afford a decent hat, I cap my noggin off with one, but I sure as @*$% wouldn't hassle anybody for putting something cheaper on their head. They almost certainly feel as though they're making the same statement as you or I, and who are we to deny that. I work on the edge of a lower income area of the city and see tons of the old timers sporting their wool lids. You know they think it looks good, you know they "remember when...", and you know *%#*ing good and well they can't afford a hat like some of the peacocks in here. As for anybody who wants an I.J. fedora: good. Put on a hat. PLEASE bring back that sense of innocence; that you'll buy something that makes you feel like you're a part of that world ( the bleeding "golden era" - Ha! ) - that you will risk ridicule for that feeling that you get inside your heart. The elitist attitude being displayed on several threads is getting REAL tedious... Why buy a wool hat, indeed.

 

[Spatterdash]

Hey, Kiltie, ya mind?

I'm quite cozy here in my irrational snobbery and disdain for wool felt. Sorry if that rattles your monkey's cage but that's me.

Wanna wear a wool felt hat? Fine by me.

Get compliments on it? Good for you, aren't you just precious.

My opinion on wool felt? EEeewwww! Wool felt, what the hell, you highland heathen, I'm trying to drink my coffee here!

 

[kiltie]

coffee...

PHOOEY!!!

Anyway, I respect your reply a lot better than some weak a$$ crawfishing retort. I don't like it, I don't agree with it, I stand by my statements, but your reply is funny just the same. All I'm saying in a Johnny Cochrane-esque sorta way is "educate, don't denigrate"...:rage:

 

[Twitch]

I'd agree that wool use in clothing and head wear is about as old as the domestication of sheep.

BTW there's no need to be fur snobs or anti-wool elitists. 99.999%+ of the people you encounter have absolutely no idea what fedoras are made of and don't care.[huh]

 

[Alex Oviatt]

I see a place for both--for example, one of my favorite hats is a wool felt from Orvis--is it marketed as being "Packable" and I wear it in pouring rain, dry it out and yes, even pack it. Great hat for around--I think--$50. Now I have two other hats that look almost identical to the Orvis--fine fur felt hats from Bates and one from Lock--very pricey. Despite their English origins, I never wear them in the rain, and I am very careful how I store/carry them when they are not on my head and NEVER wear them fishing. Most people couldn't tell the difference between the three hats but, even though they look similar, I think that each has a place in my wardrobe.

 

[LindyTap]

I have a hat made of paper. Yes you read that right, The tag says 100% paper. (at least it's pure!) I got it for five dollars on a beach in L.A. I like it and it's good for those hot summer days when I'm not really wearing anything nice, but I want to wear a hat. (It's getting to the point where I feel naked if I go outside without one.) Most of my hats are fur, but I have one wool too. I bought all of my hats because I like them. Some days I want to wear a suit and fur fedora. Other days I wear a polo and a wool felt. Other days I wear a t-shirt and a hat made of paper. Each look says something different about how I feel that day, and no one can say that any of them are wrong. That's my 2 cents.

 

[MrFusion]

I have a wool hat and a few fur felt hats. If it is, or they are calling for rain/snow/sleet I wear the wool hat. I have no problem wearing a fur felt in the rain but, if I know in advance that there will be foul weather, I would rather spare the VS or Stetson.
The wool hat is packable, warm and has yet to let my head get wet in the rain.
Do I prefer a fur felt? Sure, but I like my wool felt too - it has it's place.

 

[Spatterdash]

alright, alright, ALRIGHT already!

...sheesh.

Apparently admitting that my wool felt snobbery was irrational wasn't enough for you guys, so how 'bout this.

Spats. Spats historically have been made of a variety of materials. The more common options were wool felt and boxcloth, canvas, linen and leather.
I make mine using Ultrasuede, a very modern choice for an anachronistic item.
So, if I can use Ultrasuede for my spats, I'll concede that wool felt hat certainly has it's uses in the modern and vintage wardrobe.

There. Everyone happy? Would a hug make it better?

 

[kiltie]

Ultrasuede!?!

Ultrasuede?!? What the deuce!!! Okay, I made the argument for wool hats, but spats made of ultrasuede? We all have to draw the line somewhere, man. :eusa_doh:

 

[Spatterdash]

lol

:eusa_clap

 

[J.T.Marcus]

I almost bought a pair of spats, the other day, but I didn't. Now I can't remember where they were. I've been kicking myself ever since.